MLB.com's Carrie Muskat has been covering Major League Baseball since 1981 and is the author of "Banks to Sandberg to Grace: Five Decades of Love and Frustration with the Cubs." You can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. Here, she blogs about the Cubs.

8/22 LaHair connects

It’s been a long time between home runs for Bryan LaHair. On Wednesday, he hit his first blast since July 4, connecting on a leadoff homer in the seventh in the Cubs’ 3-2 loss to the Brewers.

“Any time you can get a result after hard work, it shows hard work can pay off,” LaHair said. “I’ll take it.”

He’s gone from being the Cubs’ starting first baseman and All-Star to a spot starter in right field and left-handed bat off the bench.

“It’s definitely tough,” LaHair said. “It’s not something I’m used to, and not something I like. I’m trying to do the best job I can possibly do.”

What about next year?

“I just want to be in the big leagues, I want the opportunity and whatever opportunity comes my way, I’m going to try to do the best I can,” he said.

— Carrie Muskat

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13 Comments

I here Bob Brenley sayingvhe is shocked by indications of players not hutling the last few days. Why? They, the players, must all feel that management quit on them just when they were coming around as a team. Getting rid of half of the starting pitching which had developed into one of the better starting staffs in the league and getting virtually nothing for them.

Come back in 2015 if many of you will still be complaining about these players. What did you all expect?
Playoffs?
You think we were a playoff team this year?
Playoffs?
Playoffs?
Houston is saving the Cubs from being at the bottom of the Central Division this year.
Houston will be in the AL West Division next season.
Playoffs?
Really…Playoffs?

What the Cubs need are MLB level instructors who can teach these players how to hit, run, catch and pitch. Scouts who know talent, and not where the local bar or strip club is in a small town.

i read where pitchers Edinson Volquez, Joe Saunders, Josh Beckett and first baseman Adrain Gonzalez were placed on waivers this week. any chance the Cubs might pick up 1 or 2 of these players? could use the pitching. really don,t have much room for Gonalez. plus Milwaukee released Randy Wolf.

I know what you MEAN Michael. It’s not like you’re saying these are the greatest pitchers available and will solve the Cubs’ problems. I think you are JUST sayng one or two of these pichters MAY help the Cubs’ fill some needs in the rotation, buying some time if you will during the “rebuilding” process?? Right? If so, don’t you think Maholm already filled such a need? I still give Hoystein the benefit of the doubt but in trading Maholm didn’t they trade a good, young (enough), controllable pitcher? That move quite honestly seemed a little hasty and UNECCESSARY????

yes i thought Paul Maholm was a very good pitcher and it made me mad when they trade Maholm away a uneccessary trade. it was a trade to make a trade. plus it was stupid to trade Shawn Marshall away. i know we don,t need a pitcher like Randy Wolf, but did think Edinson Volquez would help us. plus maybe Josh Sanders. plus also when he went on waviers i was hoping the Cubs would pick up Drew Sutton.

Well, I have to respectfully disagree with you regarding Marshall. I think he was traded while the gettin’ was good. I realize Wood has yet to justify the trade but gambling on a young, promising starting pitcher while we have time to do so (“the rebuilding years”) makes more sense than signing Marshall for big bucks and having him pitch well, even holding the FEW leads the Cubs may have during the same “rebuilding years”. A catch 22 but nothing that I would argue with. It would have made more sense to hang on to Maholm who was BETTER then Wood. We’ll have to keep an eye on who we received in return for Maholm vs. who we received in return for Dempster as I think Maholm should have returned better players than the rent a pitcher, over rated Dempster.

No sir, I will not disagree with you as Suttons career stats are nothing to write home about and his “contribution” to the Cubs would have been insignificant at this point in the season. He is akin to Mather, give him a shot to make a team during spring training but that’s about it. More than likely Sutton too would eventually dissapoint like Mather. A perfect fit for a desperate team.

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